Chicago’s Pilsen Welcomes 202 New Luxury Apartments at The Rosie

Chicago’s Lower West Side is going through quite the transformation and the newest feather in its cap is The Rosie – a brand new apartment complex in the Pilsen neighborhood. 

Located about 2.5 miles southwest of downtown’s Loop, this new building is part of the FLATS collection of urban-hipster apartments. Pre-leasing on this beauty starts in the spring of 2021 and lucky new residents can move in starting in May.

If you’re thinking it looks huge, you are certainly correct.  

The Rosie sits on a 1.24-acre site, taking up nearly an entire triangular lot where Blue Island Avenue slices diagonally through 15th Street and Racine Avenue.

While I say The Rosie is in the Pilsen neighborhood, it’s really one of those “it depends who you ask” parts of the city. Located at 1461 S. Blue Island Avenue, it straddles four distinct neighborhoods – Pilsen to the south, University of Illinois-Chicago’s University Village along to the west, Little Italy to the north, and the Illinois Medical District to the west. 

I love these gateway pockets because they expand your access to a wider variety of diverse places to explore. 

Local Chicago Developers 

Chicago-based developer Cedar Street Companies is behind the project. Primarily known for developing older buildings into modern-vintage apartments, these guys are the kings of city-chic living. 

Building Their Portfolio Brick by Brick 

Cedar Street’s reputation for rehabbing former warehouses and factories into swoon-inducing luxury apartments has sure kept them busy…

They’re the team behind Bush Temple in River North – a two-tower apartment complex that combines old and new. The rehab of this historic 1920s warehouse was later joined by an adjacent newly built second tower. 

The north side Chicago neighborhood of Edgewater is also on their radar. A new project is under construction and expected to deliver luxury apartments in 2021. 

And, The Rosie isn’t their first property near Pilsen. Recently rehabbed loft-style apartments in the Otis Elevator Factory building – aptly named “The Otis” – is another standout building in the neighborhood. 

Designing All The Pretty Things 

Design duties for The Rosie were handled by Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture. The Chicago-based firm previously worked with Cedar Street on Bush Temple. 

Like Cedar Street, they also have a track record of impressive restoration work. Notable designs include reviving the Chicago Athletic Association Hotel, SOHO House Chicago Hotel, and Randolph Tower Apartments. 

Their new construction designs are no less impressive, including the massive One Chicago complex coming to River North, and the stunning Essex on the Park apartment tower.

The Rosie Design Details 

Standing seven stories tall, The Rosie is considered a mid-rise apartment building. You’ll also notice that single-story building with the pretty sweet looking rooftop deck – that’s the amenity space (more on that later!). 

Anchoring the main building is 7,600 square feet of ground-floor retail space. 

Smart (and Beautiful) Architecture 

The exterior cladding is a mix of dark brown metal and glass on the residential tower and brown brick and glass on the amenities building. Painted murals are also expected to grace the base exterior walls, which will be a nice homage to the beautiful historic murals that the Pilsen neighborhood is known for.

Hartshorne Plunkard’s smart H-shaped design for the residential building not only looks cool but creates more corner units than a typical square or rectangle shape. And who doesn’t love a corner unit? Just look at that natural light…

The 202 apartments at The Rosie have a great mix of floor plans. They include – 20 unique studio and convertible layouts, 10 varied one-bedroom floor plans, and 4 different layouts for two-bedroom units. 

These apartments are high on chic details with on-trend light fixtures, polished concrete floors and sky-high ceilings. Each unit includes stainless steel appliances, a gas range stove, an in-unit washer and dryer, a bold tile backsplash, and sleek bathroom with glass-enclosed rain shower. Select apartments also feature balconies, walk-in closets and kitchen islands.

The amenity space is more than the icing on the cake here. It’s like a whole extra cake! You’ve got 8,500-square-feet of amenity space on-site at The Rosie, that includes: 

• A bike storage room
• Package receiving
• Valet trash and recycling
• Lobby lounge
• Fitness center
• Rooftop outdoor pool deck
• Gas grilling stations and alfresco dining seating
• Landscaped green space

An awesome bonus for residents of The Rosie –perks of living in any FLATS apartments include privileges to use amenities at any of their other properties across Chicago.

Getting Around Pilsen

The Rosie’s proximity to four neighborhoods means transportation options are easy to come by.

For downtown Chicago commuters, there’s a convenient Loop Link bus that stops right on the corner at 15th Street and Blue Island. This is the #60 Bus that will take you into the Loop via Madison Street. It will also get you within a block of the Racine CTA Blue Line station. 

The Halsted Street Metra Station (going to the western suburbs) is less than a mile walk to the east. 

If you own a car, there are 131 car parking spaces available at The Rosie. It’s just a 5 to 7-minute drive to hospitals and other workplaces in the Illinois Medical District. You can also access I-290 and I-90 expressways within a few minutes.  

Pilsen Neighborhood Highlights

The Rosie is a pet-friendly apartment building near Pilsen and UIC, so pup parents will love that the sprawling Addams/Medill Park is just a couple of blocks away. There are also several green spaces across the UIC campus for taking in nature walks.  

Three cool areas are nearby for you to explore good eats:

Head just a couple blocks south to 8th Street and the Blue Island corridor and hit up several Mexican restaurants, as well as other diverse cuisines.

Next, for a taste of Little Italy head north to Taylor Street. 

Finally, the students at UIC campus keep fueled on quick eats like burgers and hotdogs along Halsted Street. 

The history of this area is filled with stories about diverse and resilient Chicagoans. You can learn about all of the unique surrounding neighborhoods at the National Museum of Mexican Art, Maxwell Street Foundation Walking Tour, and Jane Addams Hull-House Museum. 

Parks and Recreation near The Rosie

• Addams / Medill Park
• Harrison Park
• UIC Recreation Field

The Best Restaurants Near The Rosie 

• Pilsen – Cantón Regio Mexican Food, Carnitas Don Pedro, S.K.Y., HaiSous Vietnamese Kitchen
• Little Italy – Tuscany Taylor, The Rosebud, Pompei, Mario’s Italian Lemonade
• UIC University Village – Jim’s Original Maxwell Street polish-sausage stand

Nearby Shopping and Grocery

• Southgate shopping center on Roosevelt/Canal – Whole Foods, big box stores
• Jewel-Osco
• Costco
• La Casa Del Pueblo
• Paulette’s Public Mart

Are you looking for an exciting new neighborhood to live in? Contact us today! Our experts are thrilled to share their tips about the coolest places to live in Chicago and would love to help you find the perfect apartment.